Editorials
Monday, August 19, 1996
Drug use in schools:
Rate is getting higher
USE of illicit drugs among teen-agers is increasing in Hawaii, with marijuana smoking on the rise despite reports of its relative scarcity and high price. A federal study - conducted last year as a condition of receiving funding from the Centers for Disease Control - also corroborates a chilling suspicion: The drug problem in the public school system is worsening.
The new survey polled 1,244 students at 22 randomly selected public high schools. Most perplexing was the finding that 24 percent of respondents said they had used marijuana in the past month, compared to 17 percent in 1993. Operation Green Harvest was supposed to have eradicated pakalolo to the point of making the weed scarce and expensive, but it doesn't seem to have reduced usage.
The study also showed that 36 percent of respondents said they had been offered illegal drugs for sale on school property in the past year, up from 26 percent three years ago. This is of greater concern because crystal methamphetamine or "ice" has become the drug of choice for many young people. It is more dangerous than marijuana, sometimes leading to violent fits.
If those numbers seem high, consider the observations of Lahainaluna High School junior Pedro Haro, a student member of the state Board of Education: Less-motivated students - those more prone to use drugs - were more likely to have thrown the questionnaires away, thereby skewing the figures downward.
The Rev. Darrow Aiona of the BOE suggests that parents - not schools - are to blame for the growing drug problem. The truth is there is enough blame for everybody. The societal curse will not subside until parents, school officials and law-enforcement personnel strengthen their resolve to reduce drug use among minors.
Food for thought
WHAT students don't eat might hurt them, unless cafeteria managers, parents and students get even more innovative about spicing up meals in the public schools. In the meantime, garbage disposals are being fed healthier fare than some of the country's youngest eaters, according to the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress.
'Don't ask, don't tell'
SEVEN colonels comprising a military jury in Texas have cleared an Air Force major of misconduct, rejecting accusations that she had engaged in lesbian conduct. The verdict is a relief for Major Debra Meeks. But it offers little assurance that other accusers won't ignore President Clinton's "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding gays in the military. Her case cries out for clarification by the Defense Department to avert similar courtroom travesties.
Porno on Olelo
THE usual offerings of local cable access Channel 22 are staid government meetings, debates and religious programs. At 11:45 p.m. on Aug. 9, however, an alleged pornographic video, "Blue Hail," made its debut - and closed the same night. While the rare incident led to public cries for stricter monitoring of public access programming, the station must be careful that overzealousness doesn't lead to censorship.
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John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor